Got this gun 20 years ago from my grandpa. Smith and wesson 32 special serial # 142xx the serial is only on the butt and the tumbler is in graved with dates from as early as 1884. I would love to get an idea of the year and value. Thanks for any help you can provide.

As noted ".32 Special" is probably not correct - though it is possible that a gun manufactured outside the USA could be mislabeled.
The only .32 Special that I know of is the .32 Winchester Special - a rifle cartridge.
S&W makes two .32 cartridges....the .32 S&W and the .32 S&W Long.
A pic of the gun would be nice. Solid frame or break open?
Does it look like this:
Those are .32 S&W cartridges.
Pete

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It sounds like an S&W Model 1896, also called the First Model Hand Ejector. It is the only S&W I know of with patent dates (including July 1, 1884) stamped into the cylinder. It is chambered for .32 S&W Long (not Special) but the caliber is not actually marked on it.

19,712 were made from 1896 to 1903; values range from over $1000 for near new condition down to around $300, with an average of $400-500.

It sounds like an S&W Model 1896, also called the First Model Hand Ejector. It is the only S&W I know of with patent dates (including July 1, 1884) stamped into the cylinder.

+1; good catch.

This revolver has several other unique features that distinguish it from every other S&W Hand Ejector (swing-out cylinder) revolver.

The cylinder stop engages the cylinder at the top rather than the bottom.

The barrel has a top rib with a convex cross section, and the front sight is attached with a round-headed pin driven through the convex rib. This type of barrel was used on all sorts of S&W top-break revolvers and numerous copies from other gunmakers, but was not used on any other standard-production S&W Hand Ejector.

The cylinder is released by pulling the ejector rod towards the muzzle, rather than pushing a thumb latch forward (almost all other Hand Ejectors), pushing a button inwards (Ladysmith 1st Model), or pulling a knob on the front barrel locking notch (Ladysmith 2nd and 3rd Models).

Of course, we're still fundamentally just guessing here.

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The Model 1896 cylinder is marked over the chambers 1) SMITH/&/WESSON in three lines, 2) SPRINGFIELD/MASS. in two lines, 3) U.S.A./PATENTED in two lines, 4) JULY 1, 84/APRIL 9, 89 in two lines, 5) MARCH 27, 94/MAY 29, 94 in two lines, and 6) MAY 21, 95/JULY 15, 95 in two lines. All the lettering is in a back slanting font that I have never seen on any other S&W. Other than the serial number on the butt and the S&W logo on the right side, there are no other markings. The cylinder stop is in the topstrap and is a slightly modified version of the ones used on the old tip-up revolvers.

Even though that gun is in poor condition, if it is functional it should bring about $250-300 at retail. They were S&W's first swing out cylinder revolver and are always of interest to collectors.

But note that I (and most others on these sites) will give retail prices; what you get from a dealer is naturally less. If your state allows direct sales between individuals, you can put an ad in the paper or sell it at a gun show. Alternatively, you can put it on consignment at a gun shop, which will usually get you more than a sale to the dealer, but you have to wait until the gun sells to get your money.

On line sale is also a possibility, but that gun is probably not an antique (they were made up to 1903 and an antique had to have been made before 1 January, 1899) so you would have to ship only to an FFL dealer.

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